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[Irina]

In my quest on the internet I have recently stumbled upon this great blog, written by Patricia Sund called Parrot Nation. I subscribe to an american BirdTalk magazine and she has a regular column called "Memo to Parker and Pepper" printed in every issue. Parker and Pepper are her gorgeous African Greys. So more to the point - on her blog I have found this recipe for parrot food called Chop. It is not a lot different to Mash recipe but it has got plenty of fresh, wholesome and beneficial ingredients. So I had a go at making Chop and here is my photo report:
PS: here is the link to the blog http://parrotnation.com/ and the link to the recipe http://parrotnation.com/2009/07/22/the-chop-blog/

So here are some of the ingredients I have purchased from my local health-food store:
wild rocket, parsley, broccoli, beautiful red and regular carrot, pears, kiwi, a large squash, chinese cabbage, red pepper, apples,

Hemp seeds, Jumbo oats, Millet, Golden Linseed, Fennel Seed, Dill Seed, Chamomile flowers

Seaweed (nori, dulce and sea lettuce) - can be find in japanese food sections of the supermarket. and I bought rosehip and hibiscus tea - that is all it contains and both are very good sources of vitamin C so I thought I will throw it in for a good measure (just opened about 6 teabags and sprinkled it in)

And I already had some wheat grain, amaranth and brown lentils


I chopped all the veg in a food processor


Then to chopped vegetables I added some cooked lentils

Then I mixed chopped kiwi and pear with dry jumbo oats, so that they absorb the moisture from the fruit and added them to the rest of the mix

Next I added some cooked millet, wheat, amaranth, rosehip and hibiscus herbs, golden linseed, hempseed, fennel and dill seed to the mix

Then I soaked the seaweed for 30 minutes, drained it, rinsed it thoroughly under cold water, drained properly and added that to the mix too and mixed it all together. Somewhere between me adding the last ingredients I went to check the answer from Patricia to my question as to how i prepare the seaweed and Digby decided to jump right in the bowl and eat there and then!  

I took a photo and quickly retrieved him from there and added the rest of the ingredients.
Here he is enjoying the final mixture


My bunny wasn't left out either, as he got to snack on some of the greens from Digby's Chop
(He is eating from a Wedgwood Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit bowl by the way   )


And while my animals were enjoying these healthy offerings of nature, look what I was having!  


Even more photos and details to be found here http://parrotcomforts.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/patricia-sunds-chop/

[Soo]

  That was fantastic Everything looks so yummy Especially the last pic

[Bobz]

Thats a brilliant post Irina  The pics make it a lot easier to follow amd I may even have a go myself 
Digby certainly looks to be enjoying it and I love your bunny too 
The blog looks very good, have bookmarked it and will have a proper read later.
 

[Irina]

Thank you  Digby is loving the hemp seeds, but is eating other bits too along the way, and Bob, definitely do have a go, you can then freeze it all in batches and you will have plenty of healthy food to last for ages for your baby grey.
I forgot to mention that I also added some cranberries and peas to the mix, but you can add some pomegranate seeds, any other mixed berries or whatever ingredients your birds love 

[Bobz]

I'm definitely going to have a go Irina, just need to get all the ingredients together 

[Toria]

wow Irina that looks great!!! Deffo gonna try this at some point 

[Squid]

this is brilliant, this what we need to do, its just great, I love it, well done Irina  and of course Patricia 

[Irina]

In addition to chop I usually always have some variation of "Mash" in my freezer for Digby. There are lots of variations of this recipe but the main idea is to have a good mix of beans and grains and plenty of veg. Beans and Grains can be left whole, no need to mash! Vegetables are best chopped in food processor (like in "Chop" recipe shown above) or can be mashed if your parrot likes soft textures like that.

Mike's Manna Mash Quarter Recipe

For those who have only one or two birds (or limited freezer space) the following recipe makes only a fourth of the quantity of the original recipe.  Ensure that you have a container large enough to mix the mash in before you begin. The quarter recipe makes a little more than a gallon of food. Begin by thoroughly rinsing and then soaking the following ingredients for at least 8 hours.

2 Tbl (30 ml) dry black-eyed peas
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry pinto beans
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry kidney beans
1 Tbl (15 ml) dry green split peas
1 Tbl (15 ml) dry yellow split peas
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry garbanzo beans
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry black beans
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry soy beans
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry wheat berry grain
2 Tbl (30 ml) dry pearl barley grain
1/4 cup (60 ml) great northern beans
1/4 cup (60 ml) wild rice
After soaking these ingredients, add or remove water to just cover the bean mixture. The trick is to not have a lot of water left when you are done cooking the bean mixture. You do want a small amount left, and you do not want to discard the water as it will contain nutrients that are vital for the proper balance of the mash.

Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, for about ten minutes. Then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until there is only a little water left. You will need to stir the mixture occasionally throughout the entire cooking process.

Place the following frozen ingredients in your mixing container.

3/4 pound (.35 kg) frozen corn
3/4 pound (.35 kg) frozen peas
3/4 pound (.35 kg) frozen carrots
3/4 pound (.35 kg) frozen green beans
Mix the bean mixture into the frozen products. Add the following ingredients.

1 Tablespoon (15 ml) dried pumpkin seeds
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) dry powdered kelp
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) alfalfa powder
Cut up and lightly steam 1 small sweet potato (approximately .75 lb. (.35 kg)) and add to the mixture.

Cut up and lightly steam 1 medium white potatoes (approximately .375 lb. (.17 kg)) and add to the mixture.

Chop the following ingredients into bite size pieces and add to the mixture.

1 small zucchini - approximately 1/4 lb. (.12 Kg)
2 large tomatoes - approximately 1/2 lb. (.22 Kg)
3 large bananas - approximately 2/3 lb. (.3 Kg)
3 medium apples - remove the core and seeds - approximately 2/3 lb. (.3 Kg)
2 oranges - peeled - approximately 2/3 lb (.3 Kg)
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) cranberries - fresh or frozen
1/4 mango - peeled and pitted
1/2 papaya - peeled, leave the seeds in - approximately 2/3 lb (.3 kg)
1 mango, peeled and pitted
1/2 papaya - peeled, leave the seeds in - approximately 2/3 lb (.3 kg)
1/4 lb (.15 kg) green grapes
Mince the following and add to the mixture.

1/8 lb (.05 kg) of fresh parsley
1/8 lb (.05 kg) of fresh mustard greens
Mix the mash thoroughly and then freeze it in portions.

[sarahbirdie]

can i just ask,with your chop recipe does the millet, hemp seed, dill seed, fennel seed and golden linseed all need to be cooked? if so how and for how long?

[Irina]

nope, i didnt cook any of the seeds, apart from millet. I have heard that hemp is good cooked but I gave it raw. I made a mistake of putting too much of it so know i have to pick half of it out as he loves it and it is not good in excess . Millet is cooked just like any other grain and the instructions shoudl be on the packet - it is hulled millet sold from healthfood shops and some supermarkets. Basically just cook until soft.

[sarahbirdie]

your very helpful Irina   

[teparrots]

thank you i will try mine on this it looks great

[Mandy]

What a great read, next week i will get the ingrediants and have a go looks yummy even tho i say it myself. With the donuts you need to eat healthy like your birds lol only kidding. :clap:Thanks for your post they are very good keep up the good work.

[Irina]

  Mandy 

I know I should eat fewer donuts, but they are just sooooo good! I only buy Morrisons' ones as they are the best donuts ever!  You should try them (for yourself only)